I have been reading lately about using SEO, or search engine optimization, for resumes. SEO is typically something that bloggers and websites worry about, because they can use keywords to help their site have a higher search result when someone does a web search for information on the topics their site or blog covers. Of course, every site wants to be sure that they are doing everything possible to be sure that people who are looking for a site like theirs can find them. As you would imagine, SEO is big business for website designers and computer techs. But I'm sure you are asking, like I did, “What does this have to do with my resume?”
The answer, it seems, is everything. More and more, companies that advertise job openings are receiving hundreds, if not thousands of applicants when they only have openings for one or two new employees. Because they are so overwhelmed with resumes, often they will put all the resumes into a database and search for keywords in order to narrow down the number of applications they will actually review. For example, if the job listing states that they are looking for people that have experience with sales, customer service and Microsoft Office Suite, they will search for all resumes that contain those words. By optimizing your resume by using keywords, you can try to be sure that your resume will end up in the employer's top results, meaning that your resume will be one that they actually read.
But what can you do to optimize your resume? Here are a few tips.
Place Keywords at the top of your resume. General resume formatting places your name and contact information at the very top and under that, there is a place for a self summary or a written statement about your goals and objectives. This is the place where you want to use as many keywords as you can. While I don't think that it is a good idea to just have a listing of keywords there, you would be surprised at how many of them you can work into sentences describing your work experience and employment goals.
Try to use the same keywords as the job listing. If the advertisement has a list of qualifications, be sure to use those same words in your resume. For jobs in the same career field, you will find that many of these words will be the same from job to job, but make sure that you take a moment to be sure that you are using the exact wording that the advertisement uses.
Use the same keywords again in previous job descriptions. It may seem like bad writing to continue to use the same words over and over. However, in the case of keywords, it is the best way to be certain that your resume is in the top search results. Words like “Senior management in charge of sales” in your description will work better than “In charge of overseeing sale reps.”
The bottom line is, that by utilizing SEO strategies and applying them to your resume, you can improve your odds of getting an interview. As with most tips, this technique isn't going to help you get a job that you are not qualified for, but if you have the skill set and experience that the employer is looking for, you can try this to help raise the odds of getting an interview.
I would love to hear if your experiences with using SEO strategies on your resume. Please leave a comment and let me know.
By: Melissa Kennedy
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